Global Hunger Falls Slightly in 2024, But Africa and Asia Face Rising Crisis

Despite the small global decline, food insecurity remains deeply entrenched in vulnerable communities, fueled by economic shocks, climatic disruptions, and protracted conflicts.

Despite a modest decline in the global hunger rate, vast disparities in progress threaten the world’s ability to meet the Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger) by 2030. The newly released State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025 (SOFI 2025) report, unveiled at the Second UN Food Systems Summit Stocktake (UNFSS+4), presents a cautiously optimistic picture on global hunger but raises urgent alarms about regional inequalities, especially in Africa and western Asia.

Jointly published by five UN agencies — FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP, and WHO — the report indicates that an estimated 8.2 percent of the global population, or 673 million people, were undernourished in 2024, marking a small improvement from 2023 (8.5 percent) and 2022 (8.7 percent). However, the hunger level remains significantly above pre-pandemic benchmarks, with food price inflation and persistent socio-political instability stalling recovery efforts.

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Hunger Trends: Progress in Asia and Latin America, Setbacks in Africa and West Asia

Globally, between 638 million and 720 million people experienced hunger in 2024. The point estimate of 673 million reflects a reduction of 15 million people compared to 2023. Nonetheless, progress has been uneven:

• Asia: Significant progress, with the prevalence of undernourishment falling to 6.7%, impacting 323 million people — down from 7.9% in 2022.

• Latin America and the Caribbean: Also showed improvement, with hunger dropping to 5.1% in 2024, from a peak of 6.1% in 2020.

• Africa: Witnessed a disturbing increase, with 20% of the population (307 million people) suffering from hunger — the highest regional prevalence globally.

• Western Asia: Hunger affected 12.7% of the population (over 39 million people), with conflicts and prolonged crises fueling the deterioration.

This lopsided progress risks undermining global gains and signals the urgent need for region-specific, systemic interventions.

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Long-Term Projections: SDG 2 Targets at Risk

If current trends continue, the world will fall short of the 2030 Zero Hunger goal. The report estimates that by 2030:

• 512 million people may remain chronically undernourished.

• Nearly 60% of these will reside in Africa, underscoring the need for bold, sustained actions in the region.

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Nutrition Indicators: Stunting Declines, But Other Challenges Persist

The report presents an updated snapshot of global nutrition across key demographics:

• Stunting in children under five decreased from 26.4% in 2012 to 23.2% in 2024 — a sign of meaningful progress in early child nutrition.

• Child wasting dropped slightly from 7.4% in 2012 to 6.6% in 2024, while child overweight remained largely unchanged (5.3% to 5.5%).

• Exclusive breastfeeding for infants under six months rose significantly from 37.0% in 2012 to 47.8% in 2023.

• However, adult obesity increased sharply, from 12.1% in 2012 to 15.8% in 2022, reflecting global dietary shifts.

• Alarmingly, anaemia among women aged 15–49 rose to 30.7% in 2023, up from 27.6% in 2012.

• Only one-third of children aged 6–23 months and two-thirds of women of reproductive age met minimum dietary diversity targets.

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Food Insecurity: Millions Still at Risk

The prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity fell marginally from 28.4% in 2023 to 28.0% in 2024, still affecting 2.3 billion people. This figure is 335 million higher than in 2019 and 683 million more than in 2015, the year the SDGs were launched.

Despite the small global decline, food insecurity remains deeply entrenched in vulnerable communities, fueled by economic shocks, climatic disruptions, and protracted conflicts.

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Inflation’s Toll: Food Prices Push Healthy Diet Out of Reach

SOFI 2025 devotes significant attention to the inflationary trends of 2021–2023, highlighting:

• A sharp rise in global food price inflation, peaking at 13.6% in January 2023 — outpacing headline inflation by 5.1 percentage points.

• In low-income countries, food inflation soared to 30% in May 2023, disproportionately affecting the poor.

• The cost of a healthy diet increased, especially in low- and lower-middle-income nations.

Globally, the number of people unable to afford a healthy diet dropped slightly to 2.60 billion in 2024, down from 2.76 billion in 2019. However, the number rose in poorer countries:

• In low-income countries, it increased from 464 million to 545 million.

• In lower-middle-income countries (excluding India), the number soared from 79 million to 869 million.

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Recommendations: A Call for Coordinated Action

To address these challenges, the report calls for a comprehensive and coordinated policy response:

1. Targeted fiscal measures, such as time-bound cash transfers and food subsidies.

2. Transparent and credible monetary policies to combat inflation.

3. Investment in agrifood systems, R&D, infrastructure, and market intelligence.

4. Strengthening social protection and promoting local food systems for resilience.

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Global Leaders React

QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General:

“Progress is welcome, but regional disparities are alarming. Collaborative and innovative approaches are key to reaching those most in need.”

Alvaro Lario, IFAD President:

“We must scale up investments in rural areas and agricultural transformation to secure food systems and global stability.”

Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director:

“Over 190 million children suffer from undernutrition. We need stronger safety nets, nutrition education, and breastfeeding support to protect their future.”

Cindy McCain, WFP Executive Director:

“Despite reduced hunger rates, WFP’s ability to deliver aid is at risk due to funding cuts. We cannot let hard-earned gains slip away.”

Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General:

“We’ve seen promising declines in stunting and improved breastfeeding, but anaemia and food insecurity show we have far to go.”

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Time to Scale Up Global Commitment

SOFI 2025 offers a mix of hope and warning: while hunger rates are trending downward globally, persistent inequality, volatile prices, and structural gaps continue to place billions at nutritional risk. To meet the 2030 agenda, nations must act urgently and in unison — not only to end hunger, but to ensure that every person, everywhere, can access a healthy and dignified life.